Organizations all over the Tampa Bay Area are coming together to help people in need after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The Juvenile Welfare Board and St. Pete Free Clinic distributed food to hundreds of people Saturday morning.

“It was a tremendous impact. We pretty much lost everything that we have,” said Ladarius Hollowell.

“In the 27 years that we’ve lived here, we have never experienced this type of devastation,” said Felicia Cannistraro.

Families all over the Tampa Bay Area are struggling to pick up the pieces after hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“I have relatives that lost their homes from the flooding in the Northeast St. Pete area and you know, just damage and devastation,” said Cannistraro.

Many people are displaced and said having food is a blessing.

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“Between prices of inflation, and then the availability, it’s just been hard to get stuff, so we are happy that this is available to us,” said Cannistraro.

The St. Pete Free Clinic and the Juvenile Welfare Board are teaming up to help alleviate some stress.

“For those who lost days of work, and are struggling to have enough for November rent, much less food, and the things they need for their home, is especially important right now,” said CEO of Juvenile Welfare Board, Beth Houghton.

The organizations are holding food and hygiene product distributions. One happened Saturday morning and according to organization leaders, it was one of the largest distributions they’ve seen in years.

We distributed a lot of food, but this is far greater,” said Houghton.

The line stretched for roughly a mile with people who have lost their homes and belongings.

“It does make me a little emotional seeing how much people have lost,” said Hollowell.

Houghton said she expects to see a similar turnout during future distribution events over the next few months.

“You often see tears. You often receive blessings. Very often we hear ‘I don’t know what I would have done without this,'” said Houghton.

Residents said they are thankful for the volunteers and organizations that are helping them through this difficult time.

“That also makes me emotional seeing people coming into help strangers for no reason. It means a lot,” said Cannistraro.

Read the article and watch the news segment as originally published at https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/local-organizations-hold-food-distribution-site-after-hurricanes-helene-and-milton

Pinellas County residents who are still struggling after hurricanes Helene and Milton are getting some help from their community.

The Juvenile Welfare Board held a food drive through for those who lost everything in the storms in Tampa Bay’s Nick Volturo shows us how the community is banding together in a display of resilience as so many work to recover.

“Compassion in action in Clearwater. These kind of events really help people get food in their house to feed their families, an army of volunteers distributing food to those impacted by the hurricanes.”

“We lost all our food in our freezer and in our refrigerator; we got a side by side. We lost everything in it.” Herbert’s lived in Florida for more than 40 years and never witnessed this type of devastation: “Piles of rubble that people have put out there from their homes. It’s crazy, crazy.”

Some arrived early cars backing up for miles waiting for their turn at the table.

“They lost everything that was in their refrigerator,” said JWB CEO Beth Houghton. They lost days of work so they can’t easily go replenish it.”

Each car received about 50 pounds of food including meats with fresh fruits and vegetables.

“When it comes to eating, keeping the family going, these are wonderful.”

They also handed out both adult and infant hygiene items, like shampoo and diapers.

“It’s really helpful for the community because a lot of people have kids. Some people have like four or five kids and they really need this stuff.”

And for many here events like these are a life preserver.

“People like this, doing what they can for other people. It’s wonderful.”

Helping turn that grief into gratitude.

“Thank you for coming out. Have a good one.”

“It’s an amazing community. And it’s awful, but it’s heartening to see how much people are helping each other.”

The Juvenile Welfare Board will be hosting more pop-up drive through events. You can find a list of those on their website or Facebook page.

View the news segment as originally published at https://www.wtsp.com/video/news/local/pinellascounty//67-6edf3ee4-e2c5-491b-ba2b-5e58ad3aaacc or on Youtube

This weekend brings more ways to help out and get help as the Tampa Bay community recovers from the double punch of Helene and Milton.

The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber and City of St. Pete Beach present a free concert by local Heart cover band Brigade from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, October 25th at Horan Park in St. Pete Beach. The free concert brings events and live music back to the beach and serves as a fundraiser for workers who have been displaced from their jobs at beach businesses because of the hurricanes impacting our beach businesses. There’s a silent auction featuring items like hotel stays and gift cards, a raffle, food and beverages available for purchase and the option to donate to hurricane relief efforts. 

The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber also has volunteer opportunities to help local businesses and residents and has set up a GoFundMe page for hospitality workers now unemployed because of the storms.

For more information, go to Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber hurricane resources

Juvenile Welfare Board, St. Pete Free Clinic event

The Juvenile Welfare Board and St. Pete Free Clinic have a drive-through mobile pantry food giveaway for families impacted by the back-to-back storms on Saturday, October 26th at the Juvenile Welfare Board parking lot, 14155 58th St. in Clearwater. The event is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or until supplies run out.

The mobile food pantry will provide more than 400 families with a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins/meats, dairy, eggs, cereals, canned goods and more – approximately 52 pounds of food per family. Families will also receive free hygiene items, baby items such as diapers and wipes, and mental health resources at the event.

For more information, go to Free Food for Families

University Area CDC 

The University Area Community Redevelopment Corporation continues to have daily hurricane relief resources at University Area Community Park, 14015 N. 22nd St. A comfort station with showers, restroom and laundry is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. There are food distributions for lunch at noon and dinner at 5 p.m. 

For more information, go to University Area CDC disaster relief

Read the article as originally published at https://www.83degreesmedia.com/forgood/Tampa-Bay-hurricane-relief-events-this-weekend-102524.aspx

Despite having a school in the middle of a rebuild because of Hurricane Helene, the community is ensuring Madeira Beach students aren’t missing valuable class time.

About 230 students are signed up for the free YMCA Emergency Relief Before School Care Program.

The program, made possible by the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, and Pinellas County Schools, offers emergency relief before school care for the Madeira Beach Fundamental students.

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“What we’ve been able to accomplish here is a testament to our ability to do a public-private partnership. I mean, this would not have been possible without Harrod Properties, who donated the space for the 230 children that we have registered in the program, and then certainly the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County is funding the program, so that eliminates all of the financial barriers and costs for families to come and of course, staffing is always a challenge trying to staff a half day before school program. So we reached out to our neighboring YMCA of the Suncoast and they provided additional staff. So we’re really excited about what we’re we’re providing,” said Greater St. Petersburg YMCA President & CEO David Jezek.

Madeira Beach Fundamental K-8 was damaged during the storm. Students at the schools are temporarily going to other schools in the county.

Parents can drop their children off at a location provided by Harrod Properties from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

“They’re here for a half day. They get on the bus about 10:50 and 11:15, and go to their schools and finish the rest day,” he added.

Since the program’s launch on October 16, they’ve averaged 125 children participating daily.

“The response has been amazing. Actually, we were on a Zoom committee meeting, and one of my board members had just dropped off his son here and shared with our volunteers how much he appreciated that relief for him and his wife to have this care, because it is a long day, but it’s also stressful for the families,” the CEO added.

The space is available until the Christmas Holiday Break. Once Madeira Beach reopens, students will return to their normal school hours and programs; however, no anticipated reopening date has been provided at this time. Pinellas County Schools anticipates reopening in January.

Read the article as originally published at https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/community-provides-resources-for-madiera-beach-students-impacted-by-hurricane

In 2019, more than 30 community leaders, including the presidents and chief executive officers of all the major hospital systems in the Tampa Bay area, convened for two days to discuss the state of the community’s mental health.

Data from a community health assessment had revealed that despite strong programs in place, and significant investments in mental health, residents in Tampa Bay were still experiencing high levels of mental health issues. The coalition of leaders asked themselves: Why weren’t people getting better and what could they do to help their community heal?

To tackle the issue, BayCare issued a $5 million funding challenge to leaders from Tampa General Hospital, AdventHealth, HCA Healthcare and Florida Blue to establish a nonprofit organization focused on this area. The group, jointly, committed an initial $5.5 million to fund this new entity and tasked it with determining the best approach, and priorities, for a regional effort to improve behavioral health. Tampa Bay Thrives was born.

Unbeknownst to anyone, COVID-19 would soon strike and the mental health fallout that followed would be widely considered a second pandemic around the world. The timing was ripe for Thrives to help its community navigate the challenges of receiving help for mental health struggles by providing support and solutions based on inclusive research, thoughtful innovation and impactful programmatic work.

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Today, as it approaches its fifth anniversary, Tampa Bay Thrives has emerged as a game changer for the region in mental health for both employers and individuals in need.

Furthermore, the coalition that started Thrives remains steadfast in its commitment, serving as members of the Tampa Bay Thrives Board of Directors.

“Tampa Bay Thrives meets the community where they are at,” said Chis Majeski, senior vice president, head of private client group supervision at Raymond James and vice chair of the Tampa Bay Thrives Board of Directors. “TBT listens to community feedback; and acts based on what the community says it wants, not what the system suggests it needs. Tampa Bay Thrives has truly made an impact on a level never before seen.”

Thrives’ approach to its work has garnered headlines and accolades, with its President and CEO Carrie Zeisse receiving the Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero Award, in January 2024.

Thrives, which is also a proud Mental Health America affiliate, has tendrils that reach diverse companies and neighborhoods across the Tampa Bay area. Its five years of impact include interactions with more than 50,000 community members at public events; 53,000 individuals taking part in online screenings to better understand their mental health; and 9.58 million people reached by Thrives’ #IYKYK anti-stigma campaign.

Other highlights include:

This year, MHA credited the dedicated efforts of Thrives for helping to increase Bell Seal Certification participation in the state of Florida. Tampa Bay Thrives’ successfully led a cohort of five local companies in completing the 2024 Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health certification. These Tampa Bay area companies are now, nationally recognized as meeting or exceeding workplace standards that promote positive mental health and well-being. Champions for Children, Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, Polk County Board of County Commissioners, the Mosaic Company and Thrives all received certifications at the gold or platinum level.

Also in 2024, Thrives collaborated with the Bullard Family Foundation to launch a mental wellness room, called the Zen Den, at Sligh Middle Magnet School, in Tampa. Thrives designed the mental health space based on feedback from students. In the first three months of the year, 88 students participated in Zen Den programming, reporting a 2-3 point increase in mental health scores. Thrives received $250,000 in state funding to produce mental wellness rooms at three additional schools.

This past summer, Thrives continued its partnership with the Bullard Family Foundation and recruited social media influencer Travis Doodles to offer a videography camp centered around mental health. More than 80 students from across Hillsborough County applied. Twelve students were selected and, after the week-long camp, they wrote, starred in, shot and produced a series of videos about youth mental health.

The 2023 Resident Mental Health Survey, the second of its kind commissioned by Tampa Bay Thrives, found that nearly 7 in 10 residents experienced at least one poor mental health day in a recent month. Fourteen percent of respondents reported missing work, corresponding to 524,500 missed workdays a month and approximately 6.3 million missed workdays per year, across the region. Tampa Bay Thrives recently completed the third Resident Mental Health Survey, which includes additional inputs from Manatee and Sarasota County respondents.

To improve navigation for mental health services, Thrives created Let’s Talk, a free mental health navigation support line. Since its creation, Let’s Talk has served more than 5,700 Tampa Bay residents. Additionally, 684 referrals were made to local behavioral health immediate care providers via Let’s Talk, and a Let’s Talk resource database of 803 available providers was built. Eighty-five percent of Let’s Talk callers indicated they were very or exceptionally satisfied with their experience in post-call surveys, and Let’s Talk had a higher answer rate (92%) and a lower rate of abandoned calls (7.5%) than the national average in 2023.

In 2023, Thrives launched its first major anti-stigma initiative, the “If you know, you know” (#IYKYK) campaign. The real-life stories of more than 40 Tampa Bay residents highlighted a variety of mental health concerns from a diverse range of voices. These stories reached hard-to-target audiences, thanks to the authenticity of peers sharing with others.

Since 2022, Thrives has inspired nine landmarks and bridges across Tampa Bay to light up green for Mental Health Awareness Month.

“Our Board of Directors recently adopted a new vision statement: ‘We envision an emotionally healthy community where mental health is a priority and all thrive together,’” says Zeisse. “We are proud to partner with incredible companies and organizations to join our community in their journey to achieve better mental health. Together, we can ensure a better tomorrow.”

Read the article as originally published at https://tbbwmag.com/2024/10/24/tampa-bay-thrives-five-years-mental-health/

Many across Tampa Bay are still without food and water after Hurricane Milton.

To help bring those necessities to residents, Hope Florida has made a trip to St. Petersburg- stopping at three sites in the Tampa Bay area.

Droves of vehicles lined up at a parking lot off 18th Avenue South in St. Petersburg— twisting and turning their way around for a special distribution.

“We are here today to help replenish the food that they lost as a result of the hurricane,” said Karen Rae, executive director of Positive Impact Ministries.

It’s all coordinated by Hope Florida— an initiative founded by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis to help after these disaster situations. Made possible with some help from local organizations.

“They are very grateful; they are very patient,” said Beth Houghton, CEO of the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County. “It is a bit of a long wait, but they’re very grateful that the local partners, as well as the state of Florida, have come together to get them what they needed quickly.”

It has even brought out volunteers who, on a weekly distribution day, would be lining up themselves. Volunteers like Tej Clarke.

“My brother and I, today, we went to work and when we were going home, we saw the line and we know this part because they do this every Saturday,” said Tej Clarke, a St. Petersburg resident. “So, I told my brother let’s stop, I want to talk with somebody and see what’s going on so I can help.”

And despite the recent hurricane, community is still showing up.

“It’s been hard on all of us,” says Rae. “It’s very emotional, it’s very personal- it’s just a real blessing to be able to serve the community and out here meeting the dire need for food but, not only the dire need for food but, for other products as well.”

Community coming together for one another.

“It feels good to help!” said Clarke. “You know? It feels good to see smiles on people’s faces and the children in the car when you take a pastry to them- it feels so good!” 

With a car full of food and a smile goodbye, it makes it all worthwhile. And depending on how much food and supplies are left over, there may be another distribution tomorrow.

Read the article as originally published at https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2024/10/13/hope-bus-makes-pitstop-in-st–petersburg-offering-food-and-water-to-residents-impacted-by-hurricane-milton

Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, Pinellas County

Laura Peele, CGCIO, Named JWB’s First Chief Information Officer. As CIO, Peele provides leadership, supervision, and oversight of IT strategies, policies, and personnel to ensure IT investments and operations align with and successfully support JWB’s mission as well as strategic and tactical plans. JWBpinellas.org/laura-peele-named-jwbs-first-chief-information-officer/

Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, Pinellas County

Robbi Stivers has joined the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB) as CFO. He is responsible for development and use of sound fiscal and contracting policies and practices to support JWB’s mission and activities while furthering its strategic plan. www.jwbpinellas.org/juvenile-welfare-board-welcomes-robbi-stivers-as-new-chief-financial-officer